Embracing a Season of Change

I don’t particularly know how many times I have sat and thought about giving up this little slice of the internet. As much joy as it brought me, I would often get overwhelmed. The constant cycle of “I can do it, I’m going to do it!” to then me having absolutely no energy, drive or passion was a bit draining. See, I’m a little bit of a perfectionist with my content. If my photograph wasn’t quite right, or the recipe didn’t taste as good as I wanted it to, I’d just give up. Which to be quite honest, isn’t very me.

A lot has changed in my life since I began what was The Mother Cooker. I started after having my daughter, a slow burn of a brand that eventually picked up the pace only for me to let it pilter off. The internet can be a heavy place and it just got pushed to the lowest of my priority list. I will first and foremost, always be a mother. School holidays, childcare issues, illness, work; they all got in the way often and I couldn’t juggle the plates. No pun intended.

I went through a huge personal shift over three years ago, getting a divorce. As much as I tried to pursue and continue with my efforts for the site and content, having to parent alone four days a week shifted my mindset. Even though I technically had more time to make content than ever before at the weekend, my heart just wasn’t in it. Add to that a constant movement of technology, the introduction of Tik Tok, reels and a thriving era of video based content. I simply crumbled under the pressure that I put on myself. I lost the interest of my audience because I didn’t move with the times. I wasn’t consistent enough, not in a fast moving content world. I sort of lost who I was and the love I had for cooking and making new dishes.

In January this year, I made another huge life change and moved to a different county. Not only that, but I was horrendously ill, started a new job, a completely new era of my life began. It’s only now, after eight months of settling myself in do I feel a new wave of creativity. I am now living my dream life in the countryside, I have a greenhouse, a vegetable garden, the most beautiful outdoor space and more freedom than I have had in ten years. I feel content and happy and in a great place with all of the close relationships in my life. So it’s time to embrace this new season of change and bring you a new version of Gem. A happy, fulfilled, relaxed and content human being who finally knows who she is and what she wants out of life.

Next year I would have lived through 40 winters, I want the next 40+ of them to be as authentic as possible. So welcome to The Seasonal Aesthetic. Think of it as a Mother Cooker 2.0, an extension of seasonality. They’ll be food; interiors, beauty, fashion, all tied to the seasons. I really hope you’ll come on this journey with me, you have been so supportive and kind this past decade. I appreciate all of the support so much, always know that.

So, shall we begin?

Gem xx